


Equilibrium Meta: The Science and History of the Equilibrium Verse

by phan_anon



Series: Equilibrium Verse [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 04:43:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13967565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phan_anon/pseuds/phan_anon
Summary: A brief meta-work for those of you who are interested in learning more about the world-building behind my fic Equilibrium. Updates will be made as needed as the fic progresses.





	1. The Genetics of Sex

**Author's Note:**

> Please note, I am a writer and not a scientist, historian, etc. This is just based on my own meager understanding of these areas of study. Feedback from people who know more than I do is very much appreciated! :)

The Genetics of Sex:

 

In our universe, there are two human sex chromosomes, named X and Y, and the particular combination a person has of these chromosomes determines their sex. Most people have a pair. You are probably familiar with the combinations XX and XY, which are the most common. Other combinations, though, are possible. There are some people who are XXY, XXX, or even just X. There are also people who end up with a partial X or partial Y, and there are also people who can have some cells in their body be XX and some XY. 

 

For fertilization to occur, a person with a Y chromosome must contribute sperm and a person with eggs must contribute an egg. For the fertilized egg to end up with a Y chromosome, that chromosome must come from the sperm. Any X chromosomes can come from either the egg or the sperm.

 

The possibility of the offspring being XX or XY is generally considered to be 50/50, though that is only an approximation and does not take into account the other possible combinations discussed above. You can see this approximation represented in this handy-dandy Punnett Square:

 

         X     Y

X  |   XX   XY

X  |   XX   XY

 

As you can see, there is an equal chance of XX and XY offspring, which is why the human population is roughly half XX and half XY.

 

The Equilibrium Verse has a triploid chromosomal system for human sex chromosomes. The three chromosomes are X, Y, and O. As in our universe, most people have a pair of chromosomes, though other combinations can and do occur with roughly the same frequency as they do in our own. Here are the six most common configurations of human sex chromosomes in the Equlibrium Verse:

 

XX - Alpha with a penis, knot, testes, vagina, ovaries, uterus, sperm, and eggs; goes into rut

YY - Alpha with a penis, knot, testes, and sperm; goes into rut

XO - Beta with a vagina, ovaries, uterus, and eggs

XY - Beta with a penis, testes, and sperm

OO - Omega with a vagina, ovaries, uterus, and eggs; goes into heat

OY - Omega with a penis, testes, ovaries, uterus, sperm, and eggs; goes into heat

 

I’ll get into more of the theory behind how this triploid system might have evolved later on. For now we’ll look at the frequency with which the different configurations occur by making some more of those handy Punnett Squares:

 

Parents: XX Alpha/XO BetaParents: YY Alpha/XO Beta

Offspring: 50% XX Alpha, 50% XO BetaOffspring: 50% XY Beta, 50% OY Omega 

 

         X     X                                                                     Y       Y

X   |   XX   XX                                                           X  |  XY     XY

O  |   XO   XO                                                          O  |  OY    OY

 

Parents: XY Beta/XO Beta Parents: XX Alpha/OO Omega

Offspring: 25% XX Alpha, 25% XY Beta,Offspring: 100% XO Beta

25% XO Beta, 25% OY Omega 

 

         X     Y                                                                     X       X

X   |   XX   XY                                                          O  |  XO     XO

O  |   XO   OY                                                          O  |  XO    XO

 

 

Parents: YY Alpha/OO Omega Parents: XY Beta/OO Omega

Offspring: 100% OY OmegaOffspring: 50% XO Beta, 50% OY Omega 

 

         Y      Y                                                                    X       Y

O  |   OY   OY                                                          O  |  XO    OY

O  |   OY   OY                                                          O  |  XO    OY

 

Parents: XX Alpha/OY Omega Parents: YY Alpha/OY Omega

Offspring: 50% XO Beta, 50% XY BetaOffspring: 50% OY Omega, 50% YY Alpha

 

         X     X                                                                     Y       Y

O  |  XO   XO                                                           O |  OY    OY

Y  |   XY   XY                                                           Y  |  YY    YY

Parents: XY Beta/OY Omega

Offspring: 25% XO Beta, 25% OY Omega, 25% XY Beta,

25% YY Alpha

 

         X     Y

O  |   XO  OY

Y  |   XY   YY

 

XX Alphas have eggs and/or uteruses and are therefore capable of two different types of fertility. Similarly, OY Omegas have sperm and are capable of impregnation. This allows for several more possible combinations:

 

Parents: YY Alpha/XX AlphaParents: XY Beta/XX Alpha

Offspring: 100% XY Beta Offspring: 50% XX Alpha, 50% XY Beta 

 

         Y     Y                                                                    X       Y

X  |   XY   XY                                                          X  |  XX    XY

X  |   XY   XY                                                          X  |  XX    XY

 

Parents: XX Alpha/XX Alpha Parents: OY Omega/XX Alpha

Offspring: 100% XX AlphaOffspring: 50% XO Beta, 50% XY Beta 

 

         X     X                                                                    O       Y

X  |   XX   XX                                                          X  |  XO    XY

X  |   XX   XX                                                          X  |  XO    XY

 

Parents: OY Omega/XO Beta Parents: OY Omega/OO Omega

Offspring: 25% XO Beta, 25% OO Omega, Offspring: 50% OO Omega,

25% XY Beta, 25% OY Omega50% OY Omega 

 

         O    Y                                                                    O      Y

X  |   XO   XY                                                         O |  OO    OY

O  |  OO   OY                                                         O |  OO   OY

 

Parents: OY Omega/OY Omega

Offspring: 25% OO Omega, 50% OY Omega, 25% YY Alpha 

 

         O     Y

O  |   OO  OY

Y  |   OY   YY

 

This gives us 16 possible pairings of parents, producing 64 possible offspring. Therefore, a reasonable approximation of the distribution of the six most common sex chromosome configurations among the human population would be:

 

XX Alpha: 14.06% (9 out of 64)

YY Alpha: 6.25% (4 out of 64)

XO Beta: 23.44% (15 out of 64)

XY Beta:23.44% (15 out of 64)

OO Omega: 6.25% (4 out of 64)

OY Omega:26.56% (17 out of 64)

 

However, such an approximation is only reasonable if we assume that all pairings occur with equal frequency. Cultural practices of restricting or even outlawing certain pairings while promoting or even forcing others have drastically skewed the distribution, especially within certain populations. But more on cultural practices later.

 

From the charts above, we can surmise that Dan in this story is an OY Omega and Phil is an XY Beta. Since Dan’s parents are an Alpha and Omega pair, his Alpha Mum is probably YY, and his Omega mum is probably OY. With Dan’s brother being an Alpha, he is most likely YY. Since Phil’s parents are a fertile Beta couple, one of them is probably XY while the other is XO. Since Phil’s brother is also a Beta, he could be either XY or XO, and the same is true of Cornelia.

 

The most possible options for Dan and Phil’s child would be XO, XY, OY, and YY. There is, of course, a possibility that any of these could be intersex, as briefly discussed above, leading to them having a configuration of chromosomes that is not one of the six most common types.

 

Gene Expression:

 

In our own universe, the various sex chromosome pairings (XX, XY, XXY, etc.) produce certain primary and secondary sexual characteristics. Such things as presence of a penis or clitoris, a vulva or scrotum, sperm or eggs, etc. are determined by the chromosomes a person does or doesn’t have. At the onset of puberty, secondary sexual characteristics typically develop, such as larger breasts, a deeper voice, or the growth of thick facial hair.

 

In general, the presence of a Y chromosome will lead to the growth of a penis, testicles, production of sperm, production of testosterone, etc. The absence of a Y chromosome leads to the development of a vulva, clitoris, uterus, ovaries, enlarged breasts, etc.

 

The three chromosomes of the Equilibrium Verse also code for various primary and secondary sexual characteristics. However, some of the genes encoded on each chromosome require activation from another set of genes on another chromosome to determine whether and exactly how they will be expressed. For example, the presence of a Y chromosome will typically lead to the development of a penis, but the genes which lead to the penis developing with a knot are only activated in the presence of another Y chromosome. Otherwise, they remain dormant, leading to the lack of a knot in XY and OY individuals.

 

Unlike in our own universe, though, an X chromosome also carries the necessary genes to spur growth of a penis and a knot. However, the genes that tell the fetus’s body to grow a penis and a knot are only activated in the presence of a second X chromosome. Otherwise, the genes remain dormant. Thus, XO individuals develop no penis, and XY individuals get their penis-growing instructions from the Y chromosome instead.

 

The X and O chromosomes both code for the development of a vulva, ovaries, eggs, uterus, etc. However, the X chromosome is dominant, so XO individuals receive the instructions for growing the genitalia and reproductive organs from the X chromosome. So, even though the O chromosome carries the code for heats, those genes are overridden and therefore not expressed in XO individuals. O and Y have shared dominance, as do X and Y. Because of the shared dominance of O and Y, OY individuals receive the instructions for genitalia and reproductive organs from both chromosomes.


	2. Sex vs. Designation vs. Gender

Sex vs. Designation vs. Gender:

 

As in most Omegaverses, humans in the Equilibrium Verse have both a sex (male/female/intersex) and a designation (Alpha/Beta/Omega), which are both determined, to some extent, by genetics. They also have a gender, which can be as varied as it is in our own universe.

 

As in our universe, a person’s chromosomes do not determine their gender in the Equilibrium Verse. In fact, despite the fact that a person’s sex and designation (and by inference their chromosomal makeup) can be known at birth and sometimes before, in this universe most cultures do not consider babies to have a gender. In the culture our characters live in, babies are referred to as “they” until they are old enough to express their gender and choose the pronouns they wish to use.

 

The reason for the differing views of gender in this universe versus our own (i.e., the majority of people in our own world assume that babies are born with a gender associated with their sex) is due to the greater variety of combinations of sexual characteristics within the Equilibrium Verse. For example, XX Alphas have a penis with a knot, testes, a vagina, and a uterus. They are capable of producing both sperm and eggs. OY Omegas also have a penis, testes, a uterus, and can produce both sperm and eggs. For both groups, calling them “male” makes as little sense as calling them “female.” 

 

YY Alphas and XY Betas both are only born with penises and testes and can only produce sperm, so it would seem natural to refer to both as “male,” yet their Alphaness and Betaness sets them apart, leading to what most societies in this universe would define as two distinct types of “maleness.” Likewise, XO and OO individuals both are only born with vaginas, uteruses, and can only produce eggs. Yet their reproductive paradigms—one based on overt menstruation, the other based on heat—are distinct, representing distinct forms of “femaleness.” And, as discussed above, OY Omegas are the most common bearers within this universe, leading to a lack of any real association of pregnancy, childbirth, etc. with femaleness rather than maleness.

 

Gender, instead, is related to the person’s personality and how they choose to present themselves to the world. It is not related to the role they play in society. Rather, designation and reproductive capabilities are most often used by the cultures of this universe to define an individual’s role within their society.

 

Thus, a YY Alpha might consider themselves to be male, female, genderfluid, agender, any variety of genders but still hold a position of power and prestige within a patriarchal society due to their Alphaness and ability to sire children. An OY Omega might be male, female, non-binary, bigender, etc. and still hold a lesser, subservient role in a patriarchal society due to their Omeganess and ability to bear children.

 

Terminology:

 

In the story itself, characters use terms such as “man,” “woman,” “boy,” “girl,” “male,” and “female” in reference to both gender and sex, much like people do in our own universe. The difference is that in the culture in which the characters live, gender and designation are generally considered to be public, “outward” identities that one can know without being told. Of course, for Betas, whose sense of smell is not as keen as Alphas’ and Omegas’, a person’s designation is often something they do not know without being told. 

 

A person’s sex, on the other hand, is considered private information that they may or may not choose to disclose to others. For example, Phil most likely knows the sex of his own family members, but he may not know the sex of Dan’s family members. Alphas and Omegas may be able to guess a person’s sex based on scent alone, but it is an unreliable source of information, and it would generally be considered impolite to bring up the matter of another person’s sex anyway.

 

But how do people in this society know a person’s gender upon meeting them? That question is just as loaded in the Equilibrium Verse as it is in our own. 

 

In some cases, they know a person’s gender because the person has told them. Otherwise, it is typical in many cultures to infer a person’s gender from their gender expression, that is, how they present themselves to the world: the clothes they wear, their hairstyle, the pitch and tone of their voice, mannerisms, etc. Alphas and Omegas will often claim to be able to tell a person’s gender by their scent. Either way, just as in our own universe, the only sure way to know someone’s gender is to be told what it is, preferably from the person themselves.

 

Naming a Child:

 

I plan to discuss this more within the fic itself, so I’ll add more on this later.


	3. Evolutionary Biology and Population Genetics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This section may be expanded in the future.

Evolutionary Biology and Population Genetics:

 

Based on the fact that the three human sex chromosomes of the Equilibrium Verse preserve the genes coding for both the menstrual and estrous cycles, it is likely that the development of the triploid chromosomal system occurred prior to the differentiation of humans from other primate species. It is likely, therefore, that other primate species within this universe function on a similar system of three sex chromosomes.

 

It is also likely that this change arose within one of the first ancestors of primates and not earlier. Other mammals continue to function on the XY system. Therefore, the system of Alpha-Beta-Omega designation is restricted to humans and their close primate relatives. It is even possible that out of all primate species, only humans preserved the triploid system while over time other primates reverted to the older XY system.

 

Though it is unclear what advantages led to the preservation of the XYO system in humans, the mechanism by which this change occurred is well-understood. At some point, an early primate developed a series of X-chromosome mutations that led to a replacement of overt estrus (heat) with overt menstruation. However, older versions of the X chromosome which instead coded for estrus had not yet completely vanished from the gene pool. These older X chromosomes eventually evolved into the modern day O chromosome. 

 

Meanwhile, somewhere further down the line, the mutated X chromosome mutated further still, most likely during the process of meiosis in sperm. This mutation led to the X chromosome swapping some genes with the Y chromosome, leading to both chromosomes retaining characteristics of both the X and Y chromosomes.

 

In simple terms, then, all three chromosomes, X, Y, and O, could be seen as modified versions of our own X chromosome. This is why viable YY individuals are possible in this universe when such a combination in our own universe would not lead to a viable embryo.


	4. Sociobiological History

Sociobiological History:

 

As in our own universe, many societies in the Equilibrium Verse have a long-standing patriarchal tradition. However, in this universe, this is not a tradition that values maleness over femaleness. “Male” and “female” are vaguely-defined terms for the people of this universe and are associated far more with gender expression than with sex (See above).

 

In the patriarchal tradition of the Equilibrium Verse, Alphaness is valued over all other designations, and the ability to sire is valued above the ability to bear.

 

This has resulted in many societies where XX individuals were strongly discouraged from bearing children, as this was seen as diminishing their Alpha superiority. The discouragement could range from something as mild as loss of prestige to something as severe as banishment from the community.

 

Likewise, Alphas’ preference for Alpha offspring led many societies to adopt a strong preference for YY/OY and XX/XO pairings, while all other bearers were seen as less- or even un-suitable mates for Alphas. This often meant that, for a YY Alpha, an OY mate would be the primary spouse, while the YY Alpha would remain free to take others as secondary spouses or concubines. An XX Alpha would take an XO mate as the primary spouse while likely keeping an OY (or more rarely an OO) mate as a secondary spouse or concubine for the sake of satisfying their ruts.

 

The primacy of YY/OY and XX/XO pairings over other pairings for Alphas led to many societies having an overrepresentation of individuals with these chromosome configurations. To a lesser degree, the common practice of XX Alphas keeping an OY concubine compounded the overrepresentation of XO Betas and led to a slight overrepresentation of XY Betas.

 

Another consequence of this preference was the valuing of OY Omegas' bearing abilities over their siring abilities, often to the extent of outlawing pairings in which the OY Omega served as a sire, such as OY/XO, OY/OO, or OY/OY. As a result, in many such societies OO Omegas became functionally extinct because only OY/XO, OY/OO, and OY/OY pairings are capable of producing OO offspring.

 

In the modern UK, where the characters of Equilibrium live, OO Omegas are making a comeback, though they still exist in much lower numbers than the 6.25% we would expect to see in a perfectly randomized environment. Likewise, YY, XX, OY, XO, and to a lesser extent XY, individuals are still somewhat overrepresented in the population, though numbers have evened out over time.

 

This is the result of the emergence of Humanist ideals in Europe’s Late Medieval Period. As the importance of the individual grew within European societies, arranged marriages became less frequent, and children had more freedom to choose their own mates. 

 

 

The History of Alpha Grandparent Adoption:

 

While YY/OY and XX/XO pairings were preferred in most patriarchal societies, they were not the only ones Alphas entered into. Occasionally, a YY Alpha would choose an OO, XO, or (in very rare cases) an XX individual as the primary spouse. As discussed above, it was very common for them to take such individuals as secondary spouses. Likewise, an XX Alpha might choose to take an OY, OO or XX primary spouse and might keep concubines as well. 

 

Alphas, therefore, often had many non-Alpha children, whereas even in cases of a YY/OY or XX/XO pairing, the chances of an Alpha offspring were only 50% for each birth. It was extremely common for an Alpha, despite their best efforts to produce an Alpha heir, to end up with no Alpha children that survived to adulthood.

 

This led to the common practice of an Alpha parent arranging marriages for non-Alpha children that were likely to produce Alpha offspring. For example, an XY Beta child might be married to an OY Omega in hopes of producing a YY Alpha grandchild. An XO Beta child might be married to an XY or XX individual with the intent of producing an XX grandchild. An OY Omega child might be married to an XY or YY, and so on. 

 

The Alpha grandchild would then be adopted by the Alpha grandparent to be raised as their heir. Considering the shorter human lifespans during many periods in the past, often the Alpha grandparent would die before the birth of the expected Alpha grandchild. It was common, therefore, for such Alphas to hedge their bets by arranging matings for several non-Alpha children that would be capable of producing Alpha offspring. The Alpha’s estate would be held in trust until one of the pairings produced an Alpha heir. In the event that no Alpha grandchildren were born, an XY child was typically the next-preferred heir. Barring that, an XX, YY, or XY spouse of one of the Alpha’s children might be made heir.

 

In simple terms, in cases of inheritance in patriarchal societies, Alpha heirs were preferred, and XY Betas, as sires, had secondary preference. Bearers were not preferred as heirs and in many cases were barred outright from inheritance, except as guardians of the estate of a minor Alpha heir.

 

 

Homosexuality:

 

The Equilibrium Verse doesn’t have an exact corollary of our concept of homosexuality. In many cultures, attraction is looked on more as a function of fertility rather than of the sexes of the individuals involved. Also, as discussed above, “maleness” and “femaleness” are vaguely defined terms for this species that have nothing to do with an individual’s role in society. What we might consider a male/male or female/female pairing is probably not primarily looked at in that way within the societies of this world, if at all. 

 

For example, Dan’s parents would be considered a lesbian couple in our universe because they both present as female and use she/her pronouns, but in the world of Equilibrium, the society around them probably primarily classifies them as an Alpha/Omega couple. What’s more, since they are most likely a YY/OY couple, one of the most preferred pairings traditionally, the way their society views their relationship is probably similar to how many societies in our own world view a “straight” relationship.

 

In this society, any fertile pairing could be considered “straight,” regardless of the sexes and genders of the people involved. However, due to traditional preference for certain pairings or animus against others, even some fertile pairings might be looked at askance. This would include Dan and Phil’s relationship. As an Omega, Dan’s “natural” mate should be an Alpha, and as an OY Omega, preferably a YY Alpha. 

 

An XY Beta like Phil, though, would still be considered a more “natural” choice for him than an OO Omega or an XO Beta. There is still a general, deep-seated perception that Omegas have an “instinct” to become bearers and will remain unfulfilled if they don’t find a partner capable of impregnating them. A pairing between two OY Omegas would similarly be seen as forcing one or both of them into the “unnatural” position of siring children rather than bearing them.

 

Even more prejudice is likely to be felt against pairings that can never be fertile, such as XO/XO, OO/OO, XO/OO, XY/XY, or YY/YY. The treatment of people who form these kinds of pairings is probably the best equivalent to the treatment of homosexuality in many of our own societies. In some times and places, such pairings have probably been shunned or outright persecuted. In other times or places, they might have been tolerated or even idealized (think homoerotic love between men in Ancient Greece). However, even in societies where such relationships were to some extent idealized, XY or YY persons engaging in these relationships were probably expected to also enter into an official relationship that was fertile. XO or OO persons, who as bearers were often forced into more-restricted positions within society, probably had far less latitude to engage in non-fertile sexual relationships.


End file.
